With the first World Cup of 2024 comes the chance to make a statement. Perhaps more than any other athlete in the men’s field, Hayden Wilde will be the one to take advantage of the opportunity.
Last season, Wilde won the first World Cup of the year. As with Napier this weekend, the event also took place in his home country (in New Plymouth). With home crowds expected to gee him on, another Wilde win seems a likely outcome.
Wearing number 1, Wilde is the only WTCS gold medallist from 2023 in the field. Although, he is not the only WTCS race winner due to start. Casper Stornes, the winner at WTCS Bermuda in 2018, will also be in attendance. Wilde, though, has marked himself out as one of the preeminent men in the world of triathlon.
In his first outing of the year, he will look to make an early statement on his path to the Paris Olympic Games. If his performance in New Plymouth a year ago is anything to go by, a comfortable win should be on the cards.
Meanwhile, the battle for the medals will likely be intense. Tayler Reid and Dylan McCullough return after both were in the fight for a medal in New Plymouth last year (Reid took home the silver). Moreover, both are competing against one another for the second men’s slot on the New Zealand Olympic team after Wilde.
McCullough is the man currently ahead in the rankings and ended 2023 with a maiden World Cup medal. Moreover, he finished 2nd at the Wanaka Oceania Cup at the weekend and will likely contend for another podium.
On the note of Wanaka, Alessio Crociani won the Oceania Cup. He formed a two-man breakaway with McCullough and is clearly in sharp form. As a former World Cup medallist, he could push for a spot in the top-3 this weekend.
Then there is Ricardo Batista, the bronze medallist in New Plymouth last year. Batista added some big performances throughout the 2023 season which included some incipient high finishes at the WTCS level. As the European champion over the Super Sprint distance and a multi-medallist at the World Cup level, he cannot be ignored.
Mitch Kolkman, the World U23 Championships bronze medallist from last season, will be an interesting prospect to monitor. Having proven his chops in Pontevedra, his challenge will be to translate his success at the Senior level.
Another athlete to monitor will be Hugo Milner. The winner of the Miyazaki World Cup is a remarkable runner and is in the midst of an Australian training camp with the likes of Alex Yee. The sea swim in Napier could thwart his day as his first discipline is not as strong as his third. Nevertheless, if he is anywhere near the front pack out of T2, he has proven that he can hunt down medals. McCullough, in particular, will not remember how he was overhauled by Milner in Miyazaki with too much fondness.
Of any man starting, Milner has the speed to worry Wilde on the run. The only question will be whether the British athlete can stick with Wilde throughout the earlier stages of the race.
John Reed, the Americas champion, and Callum McClusky, who was among the fastest runners in New Plymouth last year, could be in the mix for a medal. Tjebbe Kaindl and Simon Westermann will also keep bike honest. Of that quartet, Westermann could be this weekend’s dark horse. A Bundesliga win in Tübingen last year showcased his talents and it feels like a breakout performance on the world level is around the corner for the Swiss athlete.
TriStats Predictions
- Hayden Wilde
- Ricardo Batista
- Dylan McCullough
- Mitch Kolkman
- Simon Westermann
- Hugo Milner
